Roadwork underway in Grosse Pointe Farms

GROSSE POINTE FARMS — Pack your patience if you’ll be driving through Grosse Pointe Farms this summer.

Work started May 8 on Kercheval Avenue between Fisher and Muir roads, which includes the Hill business district. It’s one of several major road projects being undertaken in the Farms this year.

Additional roadwork slated to take place over the next several months consists of Kercheval from Muir to Moross roads; Ridge Road from Fisher to Muir roads; Merriweather Road from Charlevoix to Beaupre avenues; all of Newberry Place; and Vendome Road from Grosse Pointe Boulevard to Kercheval Avenue. Joint sealing is also planned.

Work on Kercheval includes milling and repairs to the subbase, as needed. A new coat of asphalt will be applied at the end of the process. New curbs, sidewalks and sidewalk ramps are also coming to the Hill, wherever needed.

Although Hill restaurants and businesses remain open while the road is under construction, there’s no parking on Kercheval during some stretches of the project, which is slated to be done by the end of June. Business patrons can continue to use the city-owned parking lot behind Rite Aid during this project, but officials warn people to be prepared for delays and possible temporary detours. Anyone not going somewhere on the Hill is advised to seek an alternate route.

During a meeting April 10, the Farms City Council unanimously approved a low bid from Nagle Paving Co. to tackle the 2023 road program at a cost not to exceed $3.3 million. Work will be funded by a voter-approved road millage, street funds and $381,503.40 from the general fund capital projects budget.

City Councilman Lev Wood expressed some worries about the bid for Newberry, saying that it’s currently “old concrete.”

“I’m concerned about costs escalating on that particular road because it’s in really bad shape,” Wood said.

City Councilman John Gillooly agreed with Wood about costs potentially rising for Newberry.

“That road is simply atrocious,” Gillooly said.

City Manager Shane Reeside said he would relay those concerns to the city’s engineers with Hubbell, Roth and Clark, who prepared the estimates. He added that the estimates “are conservative” and that many projects don’t end up costing as much as anticipated.

Residents and visitors might have unpleasant memories from some of the road projects that took place last year.

“We had some delay problems last year,” Mayor Louis Theros said.

Reeside agreed, noting that it was “a much more extensive project” because it involved the reconstruction of a part of Kerby Road. Reeside said they had some issues with the contractor last year, but they’ve worked well with Nagle before. So administrators are hoping everything will go more smoothly this spring and summer.

“We think (the work) will be much more steady (this year),” Reeside said.